Lost and Found
Chapter 1
"Don't call me Meatball Head!" Serena yelled at the now
laughing Darien Chiba standing before her. "What is so funny?"
She demanded. Darien, now seventeen, just flashed her a smile
which caught her off guard. What he really wanted to say was,
"Because you look so darn cute when you're mad." but refrained.
Instead he just shook his head.
"That's just something you'll have to figure out on your
own," He started to walk away, "MEATBALL HEAD!!" Serena just
stood there fuming.
Andrew shook his head. He'd die of shock if those two would
ever stop their fighting.
Darien walked back down to his apartment smiling. It was
something that he rarely did, but Serena just had that effect on
him. Serena was the only one to ever make him smile anymore,
besides Andrew. He unfortunately just shook off the feeling.
Poor Darien. He wouldn't know love if it jumped up and bit him
in the butt. His life at the orphanage had been really hard
on him. None of the other boys at the orphanage liked him, and
none of the female orphans would ever talk to him because they
were afraid that one of the other orphans would hurt them. That
was another problem. The orphanage attendants would beat any of
the orphans if they toed the line at all. Some of the orphans in
turn would think that to beat someone up was how to deal with
your problems. Luckily Darien had not been one of those orphans.
Yet, he did have to learn to fight to defend himself. It really
had been a "Hard Knock Life" at the orphanage for him. Thinking
about the orphanage made him need to clear his mind. Darien
started to walk to his favorite place in the park; the gardens.
Serena was walking to her favorite place in the park; the
gardens. Tomorrow she was going to go to Dad's boss's house. His
boss was having a huge family picnic at her house. Her Dad had
said there'd be lots of food. She then thought of her "fight"
with Darien. The breeze played with her two blonde pigtails. She
held one of them in her hand. 'I wish I knew how to get Darien
to notice me!' She thought in frustration. What was a girl to do
when the guy she liked only liked to tease her? Serena sat down
underneath a tree. Looking around she saw a familiar figure sit
down at a bench that was near by. Darien looked rather troubled.
She couldn't help but go over to the young man.
"Are you alright?"
Darien jumped at Serena's voice. He hadn't even heard her
approach. Darien was surprised to see that she even cared.
"Yes." He said not looking her in the eye as he lied. She
sat down next to him on the bench. His features gave him the
look of a lost child.
"For some reason, I don't believe you."
"Why do you care?" He tried to reply nastily, but his voice
wavered and she noticed.
"Because the world must be coming to an end if YOU of all
people are worried about something." She replied defensively.
She waited for him to start fighting with her but instead he
remained silent. His features now were in an expression that she
couldn't read. "What's wrong?" She asked not going to give up
now.
"It's none of your business." He replied, but not unkindly.
"Yeah, but you need to tell someone, and I doubt you will
unless someone pushes you into it."
"Why do you care?" He asked again, more gently this time.
"Because even YOU don't deserve to be so sad."
"It really doesn't matter. It's not like it could change."
"What happened?" He turned to look at her.
"I said it doesn't matter." He said again, this time
getting up to leave her. Darien walked fast down the path to his
apartment. Serena jumped up, following him.
"Darien wait!" She called. This only provoked him to walk
faster. Serena was starting to get pissed. Here she was offering
him help, and what does he go and do? Walk away from her! Well,
she was going to be even more stubborn than him. She broke out
into a run and finally caught up to him. He looked over at her
startled as she grasped his arm. What really startled him was
that he felt something flow through him. Serena felt it too.
"Will you leave me alone?" He asked annoyed.
"Nope."
"Geeze Meatball Head. Are you stalking me now?"
"I will till you tell me what's wrong." She said brightly
smiling at him. He frowned, and stopped dead in his tracks. The
sudden change of pace caught Serena off guard and she tripped
over he own feet. She crashed into him, both falling over. It
was an awkward moment for both of them. She was lying on top of
him, both hands lying near either side of his head. His arms had
come up to wrap around her waist as she knocked him over. Serena
then smiled.
"Well, I won't get up until you tell me what's wrong." She
said. 'Now I have him right where I want him!' She thought. To
her surprise, he laughed.
"Yes you will." He said. With surprising strength he lifted
her off of himself while managing to keep his balance to stand
up. He looked down at her. That was a mistake on his part. Her
eyes were so sad, as if he had let her down by not telling him.
'What beautiful eyes. Snap out of it Dare. What is she doing to
me?'
"Please tell me what's wrong." She said.
"You're not going to leave me alone till I do will you?" He
sighed. Darien let his arms drop from Serena's side and sat down
in the grass. He motioned for her to do the same.
"What happened?"
"It really-"
"-doesn't matter?" She finished for him. "I don't care Mr.
Chiba. You are going to tell me what is wrong, and you are going to
tell me right now." She said firmly. He smiled weakly.
"It's only old hurts coming back." He said remembering. "I
was just thinking of my childhood. It wasn't very pleasant."
"Why not?"
"Has anyone ever beaten you before?" He asked getting very
serious. Serena was taken aback. Was this what he was
remembering? 'Did your father used to beat you Darien?' He was
looking at her, waiting for her answer. She couldn't well tell
him that she was Sailor Moon and that a whole lot of freaky
youmas hurt her. 'Besides, that's not the same as another human
who beats another.' She would never be able to understand what
he had to have gone through.
"No. Were your parents the ones who beat-"
"NO!" Darien replied fiercely that Serena recoiled. Seeing
her back off, he calmed down. "I'm sorry, I...I just...you kind
of touched on a very painful subject for me." He looked at the
darkening sky. His eyes darkening the same shade of blue. "I
really need to get going." Darien said.
"Please tell me." Serena pleaded. "Tell me what happened to
you." Serena saw something in his eyes, a lost little boy. She
saw a young child who was hurt and lost. A little boy who was
lost, and needed to be found. She had no idea what he had been
through, but she had the urge to try her best to undo what had
been done to him. She now saw why he was so cold and distance.
He had been badly hurt, and he was trying to defend himself. 'I
might be able to get you to like me yet Darien.' She put her
hand on his face. "I want to help you." She whispered, stars now
twinkled in the sky.
Darien wanted to believe her, but he was so afraid. 'Why am
I so scared?' Her hand was so soft. It gave him comfort and
strength.
"Can I trust you?" He asked. She nodded, and he knew that
he could tell her. He spilled forth all of his sorrows. It was
like a completely different person was in front of Serena. The
Darien she knew, the Darien she thought she knew, would never
tell his feelings to anyone. Now Darien poured out his emotions
to her, telling her of all of the pain that he had gone through.
He told her everything. How he had been orphaned in a bad car
accident when both of his parents were killed. Darien told her
of all of the bad things that had happened in the orphanage,
like how he was outcast from everyone. The fact that he was
often beaten by the attendants at the orphanage, how none of the
orphans would go near him, and most of all his terrible ache of
not even knowing who he was or if his real name was Darien
or not. When silence filled the now dark park, she could see
silver tears in his midnight blue eyes, eyes that matched the
dark sky around them.
"I never realized that you had such an emotional side to
you." As she said this, Serena wiped a stray tear that had
fallen from her eye.
"You and me both." He smiled. "Thank you."
"What now?"
"What do you mean?"
"What are we going to do now? Will I still bump into you
each and every morning. You call me Meatball Head. I yell at you
not to. What are we going to do now?" Serena asked. Darien
looked at her. She was being very serious.
"What do you want us to do?" He asked. She looked at him.
"Do you think that we, that we could be friends now?" She
asked.
"I think I could manage that," Darien stood up and offered
her his hand, "Meatball Head." He said it with his usual quirky
smile. Taking his hand she stood up to face him.
"You're still gonna call me that?"
"I like it." He said tugging on one of her pigtails. "I
shall see thee when our paths choose to cross next fair lady."
Darien said in a very poetic manner. Smiling, he kissed her
hand. Fire shot though both of their bodies, practically
paralyzing them.
"Would you like me to walk you home?" He whispered.
"No thank you. Good-night." She whispered back.
"Good-night." The two parted their separate ways.
Walking back Serena was at a peaceful and wonderful ease.
That is, until the Youma came.
"Crap." She muttered as the big slimy olive-green thing
came nearer to her. She pulled out her communicator.
"Scouts, attack in the park!"
"We'll be there!" They responded. Quickly getting out of
sight she transformed into Sailor Moon.
"Moon Prisim Power!" She yelled. After taking her about a
minute to transform, she came out to yell at the slug thingy. "I
am Sailor Moon, the champion of love and justice, and in the
name of the moon for being evil and incredibly ugly, I will
punish you!" She said. The slug thing started to attack.
"Slime Ball Throw!" the slug yelled. Green slime came
hurtling on a direct path towards Sailor Moon.
"Ahhhh!" She screamed. The green gunk never hit her; Tuxedo
Mask had picked her up and jumped high above the youma slug.
Darien had been walking home when he felt the familiar rush
of fear and danger run through his body that belonged to Sailor
Moon. He quickly transformed and hurried to her aid. Sailor Moon
stood before the youma and was almost hit by the slime it had
thrown. He had barely made it in time to rescue her. Tuxedo Mask
landed with ease and set her down. He released his hold of her and
immediately a wave of warmth left him. 'Odd.' He thought.
Sailor Moon had felt the same thing. 'Why does Tuxedo Mask
have to be as incredibly hot as Darien?' She wondered. Tuxedo
Mask threw a rose at the youma that was about to attack. It
stunned the youma for a moment.
"Use your crescent wand Sailor Moon."
"Right!" She nodded. "Moon Healing Activation!" The youma
screamed as it turned back into a very plump man.
"Thank you for your help." Sailor Moon said to Tuxedo Mask,
but he had already vanished.
"Sailor Moon, are you okay?" Sailor Venus, Mercury,
Jupiter, and Mars all rushed to her.
"I'm fine." She yawned.
"Well done Sailor Moon!" Luna said proudly.
"Yes, well done indeed." Artemis added.
"Since we're all here you guys could all come over to my
apartment and we could have a sleep over." Sailor Jupiter
suggested.
"Wicked cool!"
"Sure."
"I guess so, I'm already twenty-two chapters ahead."
::Sweatdrops::
"Aw man, I can't!" Sailor Moon whined.
"Why not?" Venus asked.
"My dad's boss is having a picnic at her house and we have
to be there early tomorrow." She started to whimper. "Well Luna,
you should go on with the girls too, I'll see you later guys."
"Okay."
"Bye."
"Later."
"Another time."
All of the Scouts detransformed and headed to Lita's except
Serena. She walked dejectedly home. Serena was so preoccupied
with being sorry for herself that she never saw the car coming...
-- ---- ---- --
- Jelp